


Under the Stars Again

by memorydd



Category: Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, Fate/Protoype, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: M/M, Time Loop AU, but fate doesn't make it easy, i want them to be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 06:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15902433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memorydd/pseuds/memorydd
Summary: “It’s strange,” Tatsumi says as he looks from the sky to Jekyll and breaks into a soft smile. “I feel like I’ve known you for much longer.At that moment Jekyll almost spills it all out—his guilt and his sin, and how he hopes that Tatsumi never forgives him because he’s far too gone to be deserving of such grace.Or when Jekyll attempts to rewrite the past but Tatsumi’s blood is on his hands again and again and again and—





	Under the Stars Again

**Author's Note:**

> and another jekyll/tatsumi from me because i love these two a lot ; v ;

 

****“Where did you come from? Why are you shining?”

When Jekyll is summoned he is greeted by a piercing cry—shock, confusion, and fear perhaps—and it is his instant reaction to hush who he assumes to be his Master.

“Eh? Stay quiet?”

He catches dark, wide eyes and a face that’s young—a number of years younger than he is. What had he been so focused on when he was around this age, still in his teens before a number of things began to weigh on his mind and his studies led him down an untouchable path?

“Ah.”

“‘Ah’ you say, but you—”

“It’s alright,” Jekyll cuts him off.

“What is?”

“I’m not someone dangerous. Not to you at least,” he reassures and begins to access the situation as he moves around to observe his surroundings whilst ignoring his Master’s pleas to wait. They will sit down and talk soon enough but for now...

It is a simple room filled with things that he has never seen before but things that he knows of; it’s a strange feeling, this knowledge, but he doesn’t ponder it nor the items for too long. There’s not much to be seen, but a lot to be said—a table here, a refrigerator there, an almost empty counter, a jacket hanging, and a few books in disarray near the table. Aside from a few boxes that the young man was going through, the floor is rather clean.  

His Master is a rather simple person.

There’s a noise that is growing louder in the background and he turns to see his Master hovering over the kitchen counter. “What are you doing?”

“For now, why don’t we have tea? You’ll drink too, right?”

_(Welcoming, trusting, warm)_

Ah, that’s a lovely way to start the conversation indeed.

He’s asked to sit down where he curiously watches the young man prepare the tea for them.

“Thank you,” he says as he lifts the steaming cup and brings it to his lips.  

Green tea isn’t common back in England though perhaps times have changed that. He doesn’t remember the last time he has tasted it. Traces of leaves settle at the bottom of his ceramic cup and it takes him a while to realize that he’s been staring at it just as long and hard as his Master has been staring at him.

Jekyll clears his throat. “It seems that I have a lot of explaining to do. Let’s begin…”

 

 

They talked a lot over the next couple of hours until the sun has set over the horizon and the cool night air finds its way inside through the opened window.

The Holy Grail War and of Masters and Servants. Also about his Master, Tatsumi Kitano. He’s simple and kind, the type of person who can accept things as they are and does his best with the current situation at hand. Despite the fact that Jekyll has been the one doing most of the talking he can garner that much about his Master. He’s an easily read book just like that and it’s something that puts Jekyll both at ease and makes him anxious.

“Why don’t we get something to eat. Wanna go to the convenience store?”

Jekyll perks up at that, the uneasiness lost to curiosity of the scholar within him. “A convenience store?”

Thus, it begins with the fascination of automatic doors and ends with the embarrassment of an opened onigiri in his hands as Tatsumi hurriedly apologizes to the staff and drags him out of the store after paying for everything.

Even the cold wind blowing against them as they half run away from the scene of his crime can not cool off the heat on his face. It hasn’t even been a full day since their meeting and Jekyll already screwed up and made trouble for his Master over something so silly. Of course, what was he thinking back there? This is beyond embarrassing, this is—

Something warm rings in the air and it takes Jekyll a moment to realize that they had come to a halt and that Tatsumi is laughing. It is a very normal human action, but he finds himself in awe at the openness and genuinity of it.

Tatsumi finally gathers his breath and gives Jekyll a smile. “I’m sure that we’ll get along.”

And Jekyll finds his cheeks flushed with something other than embarrassment.

Yes, it is indeed the simplest of things that make humans so endearing.

 

 

It’s the next night that he hears that laughter again as they are looking down on the Shinjuku lights.

Tatsumi’s motions and voice are playful as he grins at Jekyll whose apology for unknowingly making his Master skip school to show him around just got brushed off. He’s being serious here and deeply troubled, but what he gets in return is laughter clearer than glass and warmer than a fireplace on a snowy day.

“It’s fine, it’s fine! You know, it’s good to let loose once in a while, Berserker!” His name is drawn out in a sing-song voice and that along with everything about this very moment is making him utterly flustered.

“S-Sorry,” he can only stammer out, his cheeks hotter than he would liked them to be. Though that too, gets waved off.

“Don’t worry about it! Showing a new friend around town is nothing.”

“Tatsumi…”

Jekyll doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to respond to the kindness shown to him. So he gives his Master his honesty instead.

He talks about his past sins, the war at hand, and how…

“This time, from the start, I want to be an ally of justice.”

Tatsumi is silent. It’s a contemplative sort of silence as he looks away from Jekyll and at the scenery that is stretched out before them.

There’s a heaviness in the pit of his stomach, but Jekyll knows how ridiculous his words are. So he gives Tatsumi the time to think them over.

The silence stretched on for a while until Tatsumi speaks up again, softly almost as if to only himself. “An ally of justice, huh…”

“I know that it’s laughable, so I don’t mind if you laugh at me, Master.”

“I won’t laugh,” Tatsumi says instantly, catching Jekyll off guard.  

“Let’s do it, Berserker. I’m not sure if I can be called an ally of justice, but I want to protect this city that is full of people who have made me smile. If the Holy Grail War means that Tokyo will be destroyed and people will be killed, then I want to stop it.

“...Thank you. At this moment, my wish has already been granted.”

And when Jekyll’s hand links with Tatsumi’s, he makes a silent vow inside his heart that he will do whatever it takes to protect this person who has in two days given him more than he could have ever imagined.

 

So why is it that days later through the madness of his Noble Phantasm he can feel it—

 

—how Tatsumi’s life flickers and then burns out like a candle against the wind.

 

 

………………………………….

 

_(“What is it that you wish for?”)_

 

_(“I wish—”)_

 

………………………………….

 

 

A loud cry is followed by, “Where did you come from? Why are you shining?”

This scene...This room...This person…

Driven by impulse and the feeling of loss and guilt that bled like a fresh wound, Jekyll wraps his arms around Tatsumi.

(But he is still bleeding because he remembers it, because it was just a moment ago that Tatsumi—

Or was it?)

“Wah—! Um...excuse me?”

Jekyll lets go to give a bewildered Tatsumi some space.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Servant Berserker, true name, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s nice to meet you, Master.

 

 

Jekyll realizes that there are things that don’t change, but there are also things that do and things that he wants to stay the same.

Like their convenience store rendezvous and he purposely rips the film on the onigiri so that he can see Tatsumi’s panic face and hear Tatsumi’s laughter once more.

Like their promise on the rooftop that speaks a hundred billion words under a hundred billion lights.

But there are things that Jekyll wants to change.

Tatsumi’s eventual fate is one of them.

There is a sense of self-doubt that intertwines with self-loathing in his heart, but Jekyll pushes forward because if he can’t save his own Master then who can?

 

 

But the truth is, you don’t always succeed even if you try again because even if Tatsumi is with him this time, Jekyll cannot keep him safe from Rider.

 

 

………………………………….

 

 

“What are you thinking about?”

Tatsumi jolts out of his thoughts at Jekyll’s voice. “Ah, nothing really.”

“You shouldn’t overthink about the war or stress about it too much,” Jekyll says, setting a cup of tea in front of his Master. “That can be counterproductive.”

_(Hypocrite)_

Tatsumi scratches the base of his neck. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He sighs and takes a sip of the piping hot tea. “I was just wondering how we can dismantle the war without harming a single person.”

There’s something eating away at the corner of his heart and he stares down at his hands. “Tatsumi, I—”

“I know you don’t want to kill anyone. Isn’t that right, Jekyll?”

There’s something that he wants to say but it’s stuck in his throat, held back by Tatsumi’s determined and serious gaze. Tatsumi’s understanding and honesty makes Jekyll feel ashamed.

“Yeah…"

 

 

There’s a horrible feeling on his hand but when he tries to look down, Tatsumi cups his face with shaky hands and directs their eyes to meet.

“Look at me...Berserker...Don’t look anywhere else…”

“Tatsumi…?”

Tatsumi’s breathing is labored and his eyes unfocused, but he lowers Jekyll’s forehead to his and whispers, “It’s okay...No one’s hurt.”

The forest surrounding them is dark and quiet except for the crying of the insects.

Something feels off, something doesn’t feel right, why does he feel dread and fear tearing into him like the Reaper’s scythe?

“Jekyll...I’m sorry…”

Tatsumi falls onto him, still.

They both kneel to the ground and Jekyll’s vision clears. He looks down.

Hyde’s hand—no, _his_ —no _their_ hand had tore right through Tatsumi.

Jekyll screams.

 

 

 

………………………………….

 

 

Tatsumi screams and Jekyll has more than once comforted him here by saying, _‘I’m not a danger to you.’_

But now, he can’t find it in him to say those words when there aren’t any truth in them to begin with.

If his very existence is the cause of Tatsumi’s death then, he wish that he had never been summon at all. He thinks this as he watches Tatsumi leave for school from afar.

But even if he tries to keep his distance, Tatsumi always finds him. Even if he walks away, even if he pretends he doesn’t care, Tatsumi always finds a reason to.

 

(“Hey, you’ll get sick walking around in the rain like that,” Tatsumi scolds him and holds an umbrella over his head. “Stop being so stubborn and come back with me already.”)

 

Jekyll concludes: fate is cruel and he’s fighting a losing battle against it and against himself.

 

They find themselves looking at the stars once more. It’s not always the same place and this time it’s from the top of a stone stairway in the middle of Setagaya.

“It’s strange,” Tatsumi says as he looks from the sky to Jekyll and breaks into a soft smile. “I feel like I’ve known you for much longer.

At that moment Jekyll almost spills it all out—his guilt and his sin, and how he hopes that Tatsumi never forgives him because he’s far too gone to be deserving of such grace.

“I...feel the same way too,” he selfishly allows himself to say.

He doesn’t look at what kind of face Tatsumi is making but he hears Tatsumi get up and a hand extends into his vision. He slowly looks up.

“Then stop running away and let’s go home together,” Tatsumi smiles.

But they don’t make it home because Lancer’s weapon reaches Tatsumi before Jekyll does.

 

 

………………………………….

 

 

“Do you have a family photo?”

 Tatsumi looks up from his homework, slight surprise in his eyes. “I do, but why?”

“Is it okay if I see one? I apologize for the strange request, but since you’ve talked about your family to me, I want to see what they look like.”

“Oh, it’s not strange at all. But I’m surprised that you’re asking this now when you were the one nagging at me to hurry up and finish my homework.”

Tatsumi’s lips curl into a small, teasing smirk and it makes Jekyll huff.

“Well, since you’ve been working so diligently for the past hour, I think a break is well-earned.”

“Yes!” Tatsumi cheers, stretches and scrambles onto his feet.

It takes him a few minutes but he brings Jekyll a photograph. Tatsumi is in the middle with his sister, smiling at the camera with his parents on either side of them.

He traces a finger over the family photo and whispers, “I’m sorry.”

“Hm?”

Jekyll merely gives Tatsumi a sad smile and hands the picture back to him. “Thank you for showing it to me.”

Even if it’s nothing more than just a photograph, he still wants to apologize to them.

For not being able to save their beloved son.

For not being able to save her precious older brother.

He’ll keep trying until he makes it happen—until the four of them can live out the rest of their lives together in happiness and peace.

No matter how long it takes.

 

 

 

………………………………….

 

 

 

“Tatsumi! Tatsumi!”

Tatsumi’s eyes slowly open and they find Jekyll’s face. “Berserker…”

“We did it, Tatsumi. Tokyo is safe.  
  
“Ah...we did…? And Beast?”

“It’s gone. Saber landed the finishing blow.”

“I see…that’s great…” Tatsumi smiles but then it’s replaced by a look of confusion. “Berserker? Why are you crying?”

The salt from his tears stings the wounds on his face, but it’s nothing compared to the pain in his heart and the pain that Tatsumi…

“I’m just...glad, that’s all,” Jekyll says.

Tatsumi lets out a weak, airy laugh and brings a hand up to Jekyll’s face. “If you’re glad then smile.”

Jekyll presses Tatsumi’s hand to his cheek and manages a smile even as the tears continue to fall. “Yeah…”

“Berserker...Your wish...Did I manage to grant it?”

There’s a lump in his throat but he swallows it even if it burns. “You did. Thank you, Master.”

_(So close. We were so close)_

Tatsumi smiles. “I see…”

Jekyll’s hold on Tatsumi tightens.

“Hey, Berserker, I’m...really tired. Let me sleep for a while, yeah?”

_(Why?)_  
  
“Mm.”

“Then when I wake up, we’ll go celebrate somewhere. There’s still a lot of Japanese food that you haven’t tried yet...Hey...let’s make onigiri together and then go hiking...And I still want to show you the amusement park...How...How does all that sound?”

Jekyll nods and smiles a little bit wider even as his lips tremble. “That sounds great, Tatsumi. I can’t wait. We’ll enjoy everything together.”

_(I don’t understand)_

“Yeah...together…”

When the familiar feelings of emptiness and loss hit him in the chest, Jekyll feels himself breaking.

 

………………………………….

 

_(“What is it that you wish for?”)_

 

_(“I wish—”)_

 

**Author's Note:**

> will they ever be happy? i don't know, you tell me


End file.
